Mukashi Mukashi
by the Divine Nataku
Summary: AU A trust betrayed, a priestess dead, a demon sealed. It all began with the Shikon no Tama, but the story unfolds much differently than you might think. Plot twists abound, be warned. IYxK Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
1. Chapter 1

November 4th, 2005

Author's Notes - Konnichi-wa, minna-san. Genki desu ka?

Miss Chang Po - :comes in from off-screen: No, no, no, no, no! No! What are you doing? You cannot start another fanfiction! I forbid it!

:gives her a bland look: You _forbid_ it?

Miss Chang Po - :eyebrow twitches: That's what I said :slaps down a large pile of papers and notebooks: "Tandemonai", "Just Another Burnt Out Star", "Insurance Girl"… any of these ringing any bells?

:laughs nervously: Um… that's why they call them works in progress…. Because they're works… in progress…

Miss Chang Po – Don't give me that! You better get the next chapter of "Don't You Dare!" up soon or else…

:snorts: Or else what:Miss Chang Po whispers something in her ear and she pales: Aaaaiiiiieeee! No! Not that! Anything but that:scuttles away screaming:

Wufei – And what was all that foolishness about:Miss Chang Po tells him: Feh… foolish onna…

Miss Chang Po – Oh yeah? Add pink lace…

Wufei - :pales and falls into a dead faint:

Miss Chang Po – Ahem… since both my muse and fellow authoress are absent at the moment, Inu Yasha is the property of the honorable Takahashi Rumiko-sama and Viz, as well as anyone that owns a slice of the pie we call this wonderful piece of work.

It should also be noted that this fic is AU, so although this plot has probably been done to death, expect a _lot_ of twists thrown in. The Divine Nataku is weird like that.

Oi! I heard that!

Miss Chang Po - :smirks: You were s'posed to.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mukashi Mukashi…"

Prologue

…_It all began with the Shikon no Tama…_

"To arms! To arms! The village is under attack!"

Men rushed out of the homes armed with spears and bows, cautioning their loved ones to remain safely indoors before rushing off to the site of the disturbance.

Somewhere a fire had started, villagers rushing to and from the well in attempts to douse the raging flames. Others rushed to the shrine from where the alarm was being sounded.

"Youkai! Beware of the youkai! The youkai with the Golden Eyes!"

Upon hearing this news, some fearful men turned in fled while others pressed on, brandishing their weapons high. The _White Devil_, the _One with the Golden Eyes_, _Scourge of the Forest_; there were many names for the creature currently attacking, for the village-folk were not strangers to its ire. It was strange that it had not attacked in some time, but the people had known it was only a matter of time; the creature _was_ a youkai after all. Prone to dark and evil deeds, youkai thrived on the suffering of humankind.

Certainly this one was no exception.

The young man who had sounded the alarm stood at the top of the steps facing the village shrine, clutching a spear in his hands. Despite his feeble attempts, the fear he felt at the sight before him was obvious. The creature looked frightening – long, wild, white hair fell down its back and sides of its face like a mane and it stared at him with piercing golden eyes. Its fingers were long and deadly, tipped with talon-like claws. Its body was draped in robes of red, a color so deep the young man wondered whether it had possibly been stained by the blood of its enemies.

Steeling his resolve, he stepped forward, his body trembling with fright. "A-away, demon!" He swung his spear out in a wide arc, causing the creature to hiss at him in annoyance. "A shrine is no place for the likes of you!"

The demon laughed. "The likes of me, you say?" it whispered, its tone low and dangerous. "I can go anywhere I please – no measly little human boy is going to stop me!"

Fearing the creature's wrath, the young man opened his mouth to call for help, but as steely talons raced towards him, he could do nothing but scream.

"Stop! Stop the demon! It has stolen our sacred relic!"

A white grin stole across the creature's face as it leapt from rooftop to rooftop, dodging the many spears and arrows flying into its path. Puny humans… they thought they were in trouble now?

Moonlight flashed across the small necklace clutched in its white-knuckled grip, the small stone at the base dangling freely in the night air.

The forest came into view and the creature let out a breathless laugh, loping upwards into its dark canopy. '_Stupid, superstitious humans… none of them would dare follow after their '_sacred relic_' into _my_ forest! Ha – the _Shikon no Tama_ is as good as—!_'

Twang! An arrow flew out of the shadow, colliding with its mark with a loud 'Thunk!'. The creature gasped, pinned against a nearby tree and forced to watch as the small pink stone slipped from its grasp with ever-widening eyes. As it dropped to the mossy ground below, those same disbelieving eyes traveled up to the arrow protruding out of its chest, to the owner of the arrow – an angry looking miko surrounded by equally angry villagers.

"Die, demon!"

The golden eyes registered pain, confusion, settling on anger as they slowly drifted shut.

"Kik…kyo…"

ooo

The sudden rush of power left her and the miko collapsed to her knees, gasping painfully for breath. The villagers surrounding her murmured amongst each other worriedly, some taking notice for the time the gaping wound arcing across her shoulder and the amount of blood flowing freely from it.

Had the youkai done this to her?

A young girl emerged from the crowd, anxiety written on her face. She wore a bandage around her head, one eye hidden beneath the white wrappings. As the people recognized her face, they let her pass, allowing her to pick up the discarded relic before bringing it back to the fallen priestess' side.

"Kikyo-oneesama," she murmured, holding the item out to the woman hunched beside her. "Here is the Shikon no Tama; is it all right?"

The woman opened her eyes and studied the jewel. The villagers around them waited with bated breath. Finally the woman sighed, closing her eyes once again. "It remains untainted," she gasped out. "The jewel is safe." Several villagers murmured in relief.

"And what of you, Kikyo-sama?" one man asked. "The wounds you have sustained are great indeed." Kikyo brought a hand to her shoulder as if that would somehow conceal the damage done and alleviate the pain at the same time.

"Someone fetch a healer!" a woman called out. "We must help Kikyo-sama!"

There was a general consensus amongst the village-folk as several young men were sent off to fetch a healer from the neighboring village. Their efforts would be in vain, however; Kikyo could feel her life slowly ebbing away with each passing second.

She turned to the young girl beside her, touching her hand gently. "Kaede,"

The girl turned to her, her brown eye shining in worry. "Onee-sama?"

She closed her hand around the small relic, paying no head to the small beads hanging loosely from her grip. The only thing that concerned her was the jewel and what was to be its fate. Closing her eyes, the miko knew what had to be done.

"Heed my words, Kaede," she murmured to her. "Take the Shikon no Tama and see to it that when I die it is burned along with the rest of my body."

Kaede's eye widened in horror, "No, Kikyo-oneesama," she sobbed. "You cannot ask that of me! You must live!"

Kikyo spared her younger sibling a small smile before grimacing in pain. "I can hold on no longer, Kaede," she whispered. "But though I am dying, I cannot allow the Shikon no Tama to fall to wicked hands. This is the sacred duty entrusted to me…" She let out a shaky breath, causing those around her to murmur in worry. "Throw it into the fire with me," she entreated. "Perhaps… I can protect it in the next world…" As those last words left her lips, her body fell limp and her eyes drifted shut for a final time as she finally passed on.

Young Kaede stared in disbelief. She grasped at her sister's robes, crying out her despair. Several village women approached, attempting to console her and steer her away as several men moved in around her sister's body. As they lifted her still form up and out of view, her pale features vanishing from her sight, Kaede found herself faced with the awful truth.

Kikyo, the priestess charged to guard the mystic _Shikon no Tama_, Jewel of the Lost Four Souls, was dead.

oo Tokyo, 500 Years Later oo

"Dead?"

A boy with brown eyes and choppy blackish-brown hair stared down at the CD player stationed on the seat beside him, its LCD screen blank. "The battery's dead."

A boy sitting opposite him, wavy black hair slicked back out of his blue eyes, frowned in confusion at the third figure wearing the earphones belonging to the electronic device. "If that's the case, you've been listening to nothing for at least five minutes."

Said person looked up, as if waking out of a trance. "Huh? What's that?"

"Sheesh, you're pretty out of it, Higurashi," the boy replied, fishing in the school bag resting at his feet, pulling out two AA batteries that he then placed into the CD player. Studying his companion, his expression was one of sympathy. "Just 'cuz you're a year older today doesn't mean you have to start acting all out of it. You have another one of those dreams again?"

The first boy gave him a look. "Dreams, Eiji?"

"Yeah, that's what I said, isn't it, Yuu?" the boy, Yukimaru Eiji, replied. "Higurashi's been havin' weird dreams – you know, like back in grade school?" The two boys exchanged looks before turning their attention to back to the subject of their conversation.

Seated casually on the crowded subway beside them was a lean-looking young man, similar in age and donned in the same school uniform as his two companions. His school bag rested in his lap along with a few extra books. Unlike his classmates, however, his uniform jacket was tied casually around his waist, the top buttons of his shirt undone revealing his collar bone and some of the cotton t-shit underneath reading 'Live or Die' in English.

However, what really set him apart from his two peers was not his lax style of dress, but his unique physical features. If one were to compare him to his parents it was painfully obvious that he took after his mother more so than his father. His facial features were definitely masculine, but possessing an almost _pretty_ quality. Long black hair hung done his back, tied loosely at the nape of his neck. Dark violet eyes partially obscured behind unruly bangs stared down as he lifted the CD player in his hands, focused as he fiddled with numerous buttons and settings.

"So, what are you listening to anyway?" the first boy, Imada Yuuichiro asked. "Can't be all that good if you didn't even notice when it got cut off." He paused, grinning. "Is it that chick from America? The one with the big—"

"You know I don't listen to that crap," he groused, throwing his friend an half-irritated glance.

"Yeah, yeah," Eiji drawled, elbowing the other boy to stop laughing. "So spill, man, was it that same dream again?"

An image of a creature lunging out of the darkness, claws raised to maim and/or destroy its prey, the boy shuddered, nodding. "Yeah… pretty much."

"Y'know, my older sister Meiko has this big book on big on dream interpretation," Yuuichiro offered. "Maybe you oughta give it a look."

Eiji pulled a face. "Those things are a waste of time," he said. "Besides, we don't really know all the details – for all we know, our buddy here could have been the one doing the mauling, eh, _Inu _Yasha?"

His comment earned a half-hearted laugh from his sullen companion. High School freshmen, Higurashi '_Inu_' Yasha; he'd gotten that nickname way back in high school due to how some facets of his personality reminded many of the four-legged animal of the same name. Overall, he was very well liked – he was smart, athletic, easy-going, although occasionally displaying a bit of a stubborn streak. To his friends and family he showed all the kindness, loyalty, and affection displayed by 'Man's best friend'. He had simple likes and dislikes and usually got along with all those in his company. However, to those who were unfortunate enough to get on his bad side he reacted with all the viciousness and ferocity of a junkyard dog.

"Trust me, I'm pretty sure _I _was the one getting mauled," he answered, feigning a glare for his two companions. "…Matter of fact, my shoulder still kinda hurts." The train in which the rode shook on its track, and to prove his point he reached up and rubbed his shoulder, grimacing lightly.

There was silence. "That's really freaky, man," Yuuichiro said finally.

"Yeah, thanks." Yasha groused.

"Lighten up, lighten up," Eiji, ever the peacekeeper, replied. "It was just a dream, right? No big deal. What's more important, though…" he trailed off, pausing for affect, causing the two other boys to give a suffering look. "Is what the _Higurashi Fan Club_ got him for his birthday."

Yuuichiro grinned. "Oh yeah! That's right!"

Yasha groaned. The _Higurashi Fan Club_, as Eiji had so amusingly dubbed it, referred to the many female classmates that went out of their way to spend time in his company. Whether they deemed him their designated non-gay male friend (girls were like that, he guessed), or potential boy-friend material, these girls – Inori Yuka, Satou Eri, and Yamamoto Ayumi especially – treated Yasha with a kind of adoration reserved for religious figures and pop stars.

Not that he minded _too_ much, but by Kami it was just weird.

"They haven't gotten me anything yet," Yasha answered, shuddering at the thought of what they might have in store for him. At their junior high graduation ceremony, Eri and some of her friends had presented him with that scrapbook…

Individually, the three girls were pretty nice, but when the three of them got together…

"Man, you're lucky those girls think you're so pretty," Yuuichiro sighed. When Yasha opened his mouth to object to being called 'pretty', Yuuichiro held his hands up in defense, "Just think about it, Higurashi! To have those chicks worshipping the ground I walk on…"

"Or maybe just Ayumi-san…" Yasha said with a smirk. "Dude, if you want me to tell her that you like her…"

"No way! Don't say _any_thing!" the boy exclaimed, his face turning bright red. Embarrassed, his expression turned crestfallen. "I'll tell her myself… eventually…"

"Suit yourself," Yasha acquiesced, rising out of his seat as the train slowed to a stop. "Anyway, here's my stop."

"All right, man," Eiji clasped hands with him, the latter blinking in confusion. "Oh, one more thing…" He paused again, grinning as his friend's eyebrow began to tick. Along with being somewhat stubborn, Yasha was known for not having infinite amounts of patience. "If your mom makes some of that Special Birthday Ramen, dude, you have _got _to save me some!"

Yasha snatched his hand away, shoving Eiji playfully as he stepped through the sliding doors and off of the train. "Not a chance." He grinned, waving as the doors slid shut, pulling a laughing Yuuichiro and sulking Eiji out of his sight.

Shaking his head good-naturedly at his friend's antics, he made his way out of the subway station. Not that he could blame him, of course. Among many other things, Yasha's mother was an excellent cook. It was a tradition in their home that on the birthday of a family member his mother would prepare their favorite dishes for breakfast and dinner. Being that today was _his_ birthday, his 16th in fact, he was almost certain of what would be on the menu.

Instant ramen was good, but _nothing_ beat Higurashi Kasumi's Super-special Birthday ramen.

Hitching his bag over his shoulder, he jogged down the block and across the street to the nearest corner. As he came to a stop, the large steps of an old Shinto shrine came into his line of vision. Not missing a beat, he raced up the steps two at a time, grinning at the sight of a small boy six or seven years his junior waiting at the top step with a soccer ball tucked under one arm.

"'Sup, kid?" he asked, ruffling the boy's hair playfully.

"Quit it, Nii-chan," the boy laughed, pushing his hand away.

"Why should I?" Yasha lunged at him, capturing him easily in a headlock. "I'm the _Birthday_ _boy_; I get to do whatever I want!"

"No fair, no fair!" the boy exclaimed, struggling half-heartedly against the older boy's grip. "Aaah! No noogies!" Yasha released him, and he backpedaled away from him, sticking out his tongue impishly. "Just you wait 'til my birthday, Yasha-niichan, I'll get you back!"

Yasha laughed, "Oh yeah, Souta? Well, you'll have to catch me first!" With those words, he took off racing across the empty grounds to a quaint little house at the shrine, Souta yelling out injustices at his heels.

Sliding the door open, slipping his shoes off at the genkan, he called out, "I'm home!"

A woman with short black hair and smiling face greatly resembling his own leaned out of the kitchen, "Welcome home, sweetie. You left so early this morning that I didn't get to say Happy Birthday."

The nightmarish vision that had plagued him had prevented him from sleeping any later than he had, but his mother didn't need to know that. He flushed as she gently pushed back his bangs, planting a kiss on his forehead. "S'okay," he murmured. "I had cleaning duty this morning."

"Aww, Nii-chan's embarrassed." Souta snickered.

"Shut it, twerp!"

"Oh sweetie," Kasumi interrupted. "Before you get situated, why don't you go see your grandfather? I hear he has a gift for you."

Yasha tried hard not to grimace. He loved the old man, he really did, but he found gifts from him even less desirable than anything his fan club could possibly cook up. Religious to a fault, the old man was like something out of the movies, waving ofuda and spouting incantations, upholding all the folktales and traditions as if they weren't 500 years out of date. Due to this fact, there was no doubt in Yasha's mind that a gift from him would no doubt be steeped in history.

He recalled the time that Souta had insisted that everyone celebrate 'Kurismasu' by giving each other presents. Their grandfather had chosen to gift the young boy a lock of oni hair while Yasha in turn had received the mummified hand of a water kappa.

Oh joy. Oh rapture.

Walking into the dining room, he found the Higurashi patriarch seated at the table, an old unfurled text in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other.

'_Weird. He _never_ takes the scrolls out the shrine._' Yasha approached him from behind, patting the old man on the back in greeting. "Oi, Jii-san, I'm home."

"Ahhh, Yasha, my boy…" The old man set down his work, grinning up at his grandson. "Just the person I've been wanting to see."

"Heard you got something for me?"

Jii-san nodded solemnly, reaching for a small box from under his seat, setting it on the table in front of the young boy across from him. "Yasha, today is your birthday. You are now at an age where you are considered a man – and as such you must take on more responsibilities." Not sure what responsibilities his grandfather could possibly mean, the boy merely nodded. Jii-san studied him, his eyes showing his approval. "You're a good boy, Yasha," he replied earnestly. "Strong in mind, body, in spirit… I'm certain that if your father were still with us today, he would be as proud of you as we are."

His mind went to a photo of an older man resting on the mantle in the living room, encased in a black frame, candles on either side. Glancing down slightly, Yasha could feel his mother's hand touch his head from behind and he gave a small smile.

"And so," Jii-san continued. "Just as I did your father when he was your age, it is my duty to entrust to you, the eldest son, something that has been passed down from Higurashi to Higurashi through the generations." He paused, glancing at the youngest Higurashi lingering by the door. "You can see this, too, Souta."

Eager to be included, the young boy pulled up a seat at the table, giving his grandfather his undivided attention. Everyone watched as the old man reached for the box at the center of the table, pushing it towards Yasha.

He grasped the lid in his hands, hoping that as he pulled it away what was contained inside was not some decaying, unidentifiable animal body part. Peering at the box's contents, his dark eyes registered surprise, confusion, and indignation all at once.

"What is it?" Souta asked, watching his brother's expression with rapt attention.

Holding it up for all to see, Yasha held in his hands a string of what looked like teeth or bones, at the base of which rested a dull, pink ball.

'_At least it's not a foot or something…_'

"It's lovely… otousama," Kasumi replied, her expression a pleasant one. However, he hadn't expected much else; from what he'd heard about his mother's family, it would take a lot more than a really ugly necklace to catch Higurashi Kasumi by surprise.

"What _is _it?" he asked, studying the necklace as one would an old fossil or other ancient artifact of some kind.

The old man grinned. "I don't expect you'll remember, but I used to tell you this story when you were younger all the time," He rolled up the scroll that had lain out in front of him, clearing his throat as he went into story telling mode. "What you have in your hands in called the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of the Lost Four Souls, an item of fathomless power. No one knows its origins or how it came to exist, but hundreds of years ago it came into the possession of a beautiful and powerful priestess who had been charged to protect it from demons."

"How come?" Souta asked.

"Many people say it is because the jewel was cursed." Jii-san answered. "Because of its vast power, it could grant the wish of any who held it in their possession. However, he who bore the jewel would ultimately be corrupted, their wish warped and twisted from its original intent.

Regardless of this fact, many youkai and wicked humans still sought out the jewel's power. The priestess guarded the jewel to keep it out of evil hands. Alas, she began to grow weary of her duty after time; being that she was so powerful, people admired her only from afar, the life she lived a very solitary one. It became her strongest desire to be rid of the cursed jewel that set her apart from her fellow man, but drew the attention of the wicked, but she knew that she could not abandon her post. She also knew she herself would be unable to make a wish upon the jewel - for her to do so was forbidden."

"That sucks." Souta pouted. Yasha mentally agreed with him.

"However, one day she met an unusual demon. Like many others, this demon sought the powerful jewel for its own desires, but the wish it planned to make was a peculiar one. It wished to become human."

Intrigued by this and sensing this creature a kindred spirit, the priestess decided to make a deal – she would allow this youkai to make its unselfish wish upon the Shikon no Tama, thus relinquishing her from her lifelong duty."

"Did it work?" Souta asked.

"Of course not," Jii-san answered, rubbing his scraggly beard thoughtfully. "The moment it got its claws on the jewel, it turned on the miko, _rending_ her limb from limb."

Yasha rubbed his shoulder absently, trying to alleviate the sudden phantom pain that had appeared there. He paused, wondering; could that have been what his dream had been about?

"Perhaps the miko cursed the Shikon no Tama with her dying breath, or perhaps it has always been wicked, no one knows. Regardless, it is written that ill fate has befallen all those surrounding this stone.

Yasha stared at the bauble in his hand before fixing his grandfather with a glare. "No offense, Jii-san, but if that's the case, why are you giving this thing to me?"

"Our shrine is the very shrine that priestess heralded from… it is our honor and duty to carry out the legacy she has set before us! We will not let her sacrifices have been in vain!" His grandfather gave him the fiercest expression Yasha had ever seen, causing the boy to sink back further in his seat. After a few moments of tense silence, the old man began to laugh out loud.

"Jii-san…?"

"Don't worry so much, boy!" the old man laughed, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "That's not the Shikon no Tama…"

"It's not?" Souta asked, looking disappointed.

"No, of course not! The real thing hasn't been seen for nearly 500 years!" Jii-san said. "But what's important is the story, and the tradition passed down through our family line for five centuries. Were the Shikon no Tama still in existence today, it would be our family's sacred duty to keep it out of wicked hands."

"Oh my…" Kasumi replied.

Then there was silence.

Yasha stared at his grandfather, his expression neutral. "So… basically, your gift to me is a plastic ball and some old fairytale?"

Jii-san gave him a bland look before pulling a small envelope out of the fold of his gi. "Plus a gift certificate to that bookstore you're always meandering around in… Studying is important, of course… but if only you would devote as much attention to shrine duties…"

"That was nice of you, otousama," Kasumi said with a smile.

Yasha forced himself not to roll his eyes, accepting the envelope from his grandfather with a grin. "Thanks, Jii-san," he replied, giving the old man another pat on the back. Perhaps there was some hope for him after all. He paused, fingering the pseudo-relic in his hand. "Um… what do you want me to do with this?"

"You should keep it," Jii-san suggested. "For good luck." Seeing his grandson's bland look, he then sighed. "Or you could put it back with the others." At the raised eyebrows, he explained, "I plan to sell them as key-chains at the shrine."

Jii-san the entrepreneur… "Where are they?" Yasha asked.

"In the well-house; there's a couple boxes of them if you could just move them into the shrine office for me."

"But the well-house is haunted!" Souta exclaimed, casting his brother a worried glanced. "You told me so, Nii-chan!"

"Er…"

"Yasha, why would you tell your brother something like that?" Kasumi admonished.

"Um… to scare him?"

"Nonsense!" Jii-san exclaimed. "There are no ghosts in the well – demon remains, perhaps. That's why they call it the Bone Eater's well, as you well know."

"B-bone Eater?"

"Aw, c'mon, Souta, you don't really believe all that nonsense, do you?" Yasha asked.

"Yes!"

"As he well should!"

"Now, now, no more of that," Kasumi replied, clapping her hands together. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes, so I want you two boys to do as your grandfather asked and then come inside and get cleaned up. We're having your favorites tonight, Yasha, sweetie."

He knew it. "Sure thing, mom," he said with a grin.

"Okay, mom…" Souta moaned, still uncertain.

"The seals on the well _should_ prevent the vengeful spirits from escaping, but be careful." Jii-san warned.

"Sure, sure," Yasha intoned. "What's the worst thing that can happen anyway?"

Famous last words.

End Prologue

Author's Notes - Ahaaaa, I'm sure you guys are surprised, ne? But don't go thinking you're sure what's gonna happen next. I'm notorious for my demented little twists and turns...

Miss Chang Po - Demented being the operative word here.

Hush, you're just jealous. Remember the R's, minna!


	2. Chapter 2

"Nii-chan..." 

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

"Right in front of you."

"No, you're not..."

"Yeah I am - look, I can see your outline."

"I can't see you - it's too dark in here! Where are you--?"

"Hey, watch out for that--"

"Ow!"

"Box."

"I thought you said you were right in front of me!"

"Well, I was... but so were these..." Light suddenly flooded the room as Yasha waved his flashlight around the room. He finally directed it towards his younger brother, as well as the boxes they were looking for - laying directly at the younger boy's feet. "They're probably the boxes Jii-san was talking about -- hm?"

"What?" Souta followed his brother's gaze until it fell on the old well in the middle of the room. Covered by wooden planks and sealing wards, the well it self looked very much like it could eat bones as it claimed. However, over the old ofuda and boards was what looked like eons of dust, giving the old well an other wordly vibe.

'_Weird..._' Yasha studied the well, his curiosity piqued. There was something about the well... something that called to him, draw him to it. Before he knew it, he was down the stairs, directly in front of it brushing away the dust with a trembling hand.

"Man, this box is heavy... how many of these _Tama_ things do you think Jii-chan has-- Niichan?" Souta turned to his brother, his eyes widening comically at the sight of his brother slowly and systematically pulling away the seals holding the planks in place as if they were nothing. "Niichan!?!"

"I wanna see what's in here," he offered by way of explanation. That feeling was stronger now, demanding that he open the well.

"Stop it!" Souta whined, racing down the stairs to grab at his sleeve. "What if you let the demons in?"

"Aw c'mon, Souta, relax!" Yasha sighed, turning back to him witha bland look. "I was just messing with you before, there's really no such thing as--"

The wooden planks shot off of the well lid with a loud bang, flying off in various directions around thr room. Souta screamed as one zipped past his face, embedding itself into the wall like a knife through butter. Yasha started to call out to him to see if he was all right, but the room was flooded with a bright light, blnding his vision.

"Nii-chan!" Souta cried. "Yasha-niichan!"

Just as soon it has occured, the lights died down and the young boy looked around to find that he was the only one left in the well-house.

oo

It's an awfully painful experience to regain consciousness at an awkward angle, as Yasha was very quick to learn. After a quick assessment that yielded no injuries worse than a few scratches and bruises, the young teen considered himself lucky to have not broken anything. Pulling himself up, he dusted off his clothes and took a look at his surroundings.

'_Argh, that hurt..._' he groaned, studying to dark walls of the well. '_I never realized this thing was so deep..._' He stared upwards, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Souta!" he called out. "Souta, it's okay! I'm all right! I need you to find a rope or something so I can get out of here, okay!" He waited a few seconds for a response only to find none was forthcoming. "Souta! Man... the poor kid probably freaked out when I fell in here..." He trailed off, remembering the distinct feeling of arms grasping him. Had he been pulled in? Yasha really didn't want to contemplate such a thought...

Running his hands along the nearest wall, he discovered a cluster of thick vines running all the way up to the lip of the well. Always an athletic student, the boy grasped the thickest of the vines like a rope, hauling hismelf up and out of the darkness of the well. "Souta, you little punk, when I get a hold of yoou..." Violet eyes widened and the words died on Yasha's lips as he took in the image before him.

Gone was the dark, dank well house. In its place was vast green grass, large, lush trees with sunlight filtering through their dappled branches. It was with this sight that it becaem painfully obvious to Yasha that this was not the Higurashi Shrine. '_Ookaaayy..._' The high schooler paced the outside of the well, peering back into its depths for some sign of deception. A light breeze tugged at his clothes, and birds chirped in the distance. The sounds of the busy city were gone; there was only silence.

Scratching his head, Yasha paused as a frown formed on his face. '_Think, Higurashi, there's got to be something here that can clue you in on where you are!_' Was the well some sort of tunnel? He had fallen straight down, hadn't he? It didn't make sense! '_You can't have gotten that far from home, right?!_' His gaze left the well, and drifted upwards into the copse of trees in the distance. Above the canopy stood a tree so large and impressive that Yasha recognized it instantly. After all, he saw it everyday as he left his house for school.

The Higurashi Shrine's sacred tree, the 100 year old--

"Goshinboku!" He let out a laugh of relief, shooting off into the forest towards it. He ducked over and under branches and bushes, never minding the tears and snags sustained by his hair and clothes. After all, he had plenty of uniforms back at home. "Mom, Jii-san, Souta!" He called out as he neared the tree. However, a frown formed on his face as he grew closer and closer. Why were there so many trees here? Why wasn't his house coming into view yet? "Hello! Is anybody there? Somebody answer me alread-- what the...?"

Yasha cleared the bushes, coming into the clearing where the Goshinboku proudly stood. By first appearances it still looked the same; large and massive, its thick roots rising and curling up out of the soil beneath it. However, gone was the fenced enclosure that surrounded it, along with the prayer wards that ung around its base. Still, these things were not what caught Yasha's attention. What really caught his eye was the figure that lay slumped against its trunk.

At first glance the person appeared to be a sleep, but as he continued his sutdy, Yasha realized the person lay flush against the tree's base, ensnarled by its roots.

"Hey, are you okay?" He rushed forward, prepared to proved assistance until he was brought up short by the person's unique features. The figure was was young, very young, despite the long white hair framing his face. Face lax in sleep, Yasha guessed him to be about the same age as him, if not a year or so younger. He was a bit effeminate looking though. "Huh, Yuka and the girls would have a Field Day with you," he murmured. The girls always insisted Yasha was insanely pretty and would no doubt treat this unforunate boy the same way. "You might wanna lose those cat ears, though," he remarked blandly, noting the two triangular ears on the top of the boy's head. "That cosplay crap is a little tired... and weird." He gave the two ears a tug in efforts to remove them, surprised when they wouldn't yield. "Wha..." Feeling them again hesitantly, Yasha was stuned to find that they were warm, much like his cat's, Buyo. He hadn't seen the feline around in a while, but the fat thing had a way of coming and going as he pleased. Cats were like that, he supposed. He rubbed the ear experimentally, gasping out loud. "Hey! These are real?!" He stared at the boy in wonder. "Just what are you anyway?"

_Thok!_ An arrow connected with the tree just beside the boy's head, causing Yasha to curse as he fell backwards off of the tree root to the ground. Regaining his bearings, he looked up into the face of an angry, arrow toting mob.

"That thing is off-limits."

Yasha closed his eyes and groaned.

oo

Before long, the young man found himself bound and dragged to a small, little farming village ('_Farming village?!!_') at the edge of the forst. They deposited him in the center of the village common, surrounding him on all sides.

'_What is going on here?_' he thought, glaring up at his captors. People came out of nearby huts at the commotion, watching him with looks of confusion and apprehension, muttering things like majo and youkai. '_These people are worse than Jii-san!_' They all wore yukata and hakama, their hair pulled up in traditional topknots. What was this, the missing of some Kurosawa-esque jida-geki?! There was only one thing missing...

"Someone summon Priestess Kaede!"

Yup, that cinched it. Yasha was no convinced that he was officially in La-La Land.

oo

Priestess Kaede had never been strong in the physical aspects of her particular trade, healing was more her specialty. However, as a miko, she did consider herself well verse in the ways of the spiritual realm. After being summoned by the villagers to interrogate a potential youkai caught in the Sacred Forest, the woman was almost afraid she was slipping in her old age. As she stepped into the common, she saw a figure sitting before her that could not have possibly been there. For the briefest of moments, seemingly unharmed, untouched by time, sat her beloved older sister Kikyo - the same Kikyo who had died 50 years ago. The ghostly visage had smiled at her before fading away to reveal a sullen face young boy.

Recoiling, Kaede frowned and pulled a pouch from the sleeve of her gi, dashing some of its contents into the face of the 'youkai' before her. "Away, youkai!" she commanded. "Be gone from this vessel at once!"

Yasha, who for one, did not appreciate having dirt thrown in his face, let out a loud curse as he glared up at the old woman angrily. "Hey, cut it out! What'd you do that for, you nutty old hag?!"

Kaede blinked her one good eye in surprise. "This boy is a human... though I daresay he is horribly rude..."

His mother would have frowned at his atrocious manners, he knew, but at the moment Yasha couldn't have cared less. His eyes stung something fierce - disproving his notion of the whole escapade beind another warped dream - and he couldn't even wipe the dirt away because his hands were still bound! "Of course, I'm human!" he exclaimed. "Anybody with eyes can see that!" Some of the villagers in the background murmured amongst themselves, causing Yasha to roll his eyes. '_Superstitious little..._'

Kaede knelt down in front of him, grasping his chin in a wrinkled hand, observing him with a keen eye. "I've never met one as peculiar as you, boy," she mused. "Your clothing and manner of speech are most strange... might ye be a foreigner?"

'_Peculiar, she says... take a look in the mirror, Baa-chan!_' However, deciding he had been rude enough for one day, he responded, "I'm from Tokyo."

"Tohh-kyo...?" she sounded the familiar word on her lips. "I have never heard of such a place."

Yasha's stomach lurched. Never heard of Tokyo? Where was this place? Was it possible that the well really was cursed and had transported him to another place, but another time? He swallowed harshly, glancing up at Kaede. "Where am I exactly?" There... he had managed to keep his voice an even tone. There was no point screaming bloody murder when the populace suspected you were a demon.

"You are in the domain of Musashi," Kaede answered. "Just on the edge of _Inuyasha no Mouri._"

'_Musashi... are you kidding? And Inuyasha...? The forest has the same nickname as me?_'

"My name is Kaede," the old woman continued. "I am the miko of this village. Who might ye be, child?"

Yasha groaned inwardly. "Yasha," he said softly. "Higurashi Yasha."

The crowd began murmuring once again.

"Miko-sama..."

Kaede nodded resolutely, turning to one of the young man hovering beside her uncertainly. "Let the boy go," she commanded softly. "He means us no harm."

"But, Kaede-sama, are you sure he isn't..."

"This boy is no more youkai than you or I," she interrupted. '_Though I must say his aura is peculiar..._' Turning to Yasha as his ropes were cut loose she replied, "Come with me, Higurashi-san, I am certain we have much to discuss."

Unwilling to stay in his presnt company, Yasha had no choice but to follow.

oo

"Here, child, you must be hungry."

Yasha took the warm bowl of stew gratefully, muttering a quick 'itadakimasu' before packing it away with much gusto. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious in the well and he was starving. After all, he hadn't gotten a chance to eat his Birthday ramen. At that thought, his hand stilled and he stared down at the floor. "Mom..."

Kaede turned a soft eye to him, taking in the forlorn expression settling on his face. "Your family must be very concerned about your wellfare..."

"It's not everyday my little brother gets to see me dragged into an old well," Yasha remarked, setting down his bowl. He looked up at her earnestl. "You do believe me - about what happened... don't you?"

"I have heard of far stranger things occuring in this land," Kaede answered. "And the Bone Eater's Well is known to possess an unnatural aura - it would certainly explain how you managed to arrive here."

Dragged into a well that acted as a gateway between ages... _Heisei_ and _Sengoku Jidai_... Modern and Warring States era... "So, how do I get back?" he asked.

"That I am afraid I do not know," Kaede answered. "But you are welcome to stay here whilst we try to understand what has happened to you. It is best that you do no stray far from the village... the forests can be very dangerous."

'_Yeah..._' Yasha nodded mutely in agreement. '_I don't even wanna think about what would happen if I ran into whatever pulled me here in the first place..._'

As he spoke, elsewhere a large creature snaked its way out of the well. Multiple white arms propelled it into the forest as only one thought ran through its mind...

"Shiiikooonnn..."

oo

_...Get up... you have to get up..._

'_...huh... what...?_'

_...You're in danger... It's in danger... Wake up...!_

Yasha opened his eyes slowly, his mind still lost in the fog between sleep and awake... He took stock of his surroundings, noting the wooden walls of Kaede's old hut. Flopping down on his back, he let out a loud groan, "So this isn't a dream..."

"Youkai! Youkaaaiiii!"

A loud bell could be heard ringing in the distance, bringing Yasha to a full state of awareness. He sat up with a yelp, flinging the blanket Kaede had lent him to the side of the futon. Grabbing his shoes and scrambling to his feet, he rushed outside to find the village in a state of bedlam. Women and children ran ran about, small livestock panicking and fluttering around them in a panic as the men folk gathered up their weapons for an impending attack.

"What's happening?" Yasha called, hoping someone would stop and clue him in.

"There is a youkai approaching the village!" Kaede answered, hobbling towards him with a bow and quiver in hand. "I'm not certain we can hold it off."

"Are you serious? What does it want?"

Any answer the old woman might have given was drowned out by a loud crash as a hut behind them collapsed in on itself. From out of the wreckage emerged a large creature with a body of a centipede, but head and torso of a woman with four arms running down each side of her body. Hissing, it turned its head in their direction, its eyes widening as they zeroed in on Yasha.

"You..." it moaned. "It's you...!"

The boy blinked, back away. The creature looked horribly familiar... '_Is this it? Was this the thing that dragged me into the well?_'

Wasting no time, Kaede notched an arrow to her bow, firing and catching the youkai in the shoulder.

It reared back with a hiss, yanking the arrow out as if it were a mere splinter. "Meddlesome old human!" it snarled, lashing out at the old woman with a long, clawed hand. Quick to act, Yasha dove out at Kaede, yanking her out of harms way. "No one will keep me from what is mine!"

"What did you take?" Kaede demanded, looking up at him with a wide eye.

"Nothing!" Yasha cried out. '_At_ _least nothing that I know of..._' "Look... if that thing is after me, than I've gotta draw it away from your village somehow! It'll destroy everything!"

"The forest is no place for you, Yasha! It is too dangerous!"

"It's not exactly safe here right now either, you know!"

Seeing the pair in distress, some of the men attacked the youkai, pulling it down with hooks and ropes in attempts to divert its attention away from their miko and the strange young man. Using the opportunity, Yasha grabbed Kaede by the arm, hurriedly pulling her to her feet and away from the youkai.

"You cannot go off wandering alone with that creature after you!" Kaede exclaimed. "You'll be killed!"

"We'll all be killed if I stick around here!" Yasha argue, his eyes scanning the village for possible escape routes. His eyes suddenly fell on the forest. "That thing followed me out of the well, right? Maybe I can lead it back there!"

"Yasha--!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! If I get into trouble, I'll just head to where those shining lights are by the Goshinboku, okay? That's where you guys can find me!"

Kaede started in surprise. '_He can see the aura of the spell surrounding the Sacred Tree...? Just who is this child?_' She looked up to see the boy sprinting off in its direction. Was the tree drawing him there somehow? Was it possible that he...?

"NO! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE FROM ME!" Seeing its prey escaping, the centipede broke free from its captors, shooting up in pursuit like a snake on the water.

"Run, Yasha!" Kaede yelled. "Run as fast as you can!"

"Kaede-sama!" The old miko turned as several men on horseback approached her, armed to the teeth with ropes and spears.

"Fetch me my horse!" she commanded. "We must not allow that foolish boy to come to harm!"

oo

Yasha had always considered himself to be an athletic boy. He got good marks in gym class, play soccer, ran track... he'd even learned a little kendo and archery in summer camp back in the 5th grade. However, no extra-curricular excercise could compare to exertion experience while you were running for your life. Following the path he'd origninally been led through out of the forest, Yasha made it to deep into the saftey of the trees in record time. However, as he neared the Goshinboku an awful thought occured to him. What if by leading the centipede back to the well he inadvertantly led it directly to the boy strapped to the tree? Yasha wasn't sure if he was dead or not - but for whatever reason he had been placed there, he could not leave him to be eaten alive (or whatever) by a centipede that was clearly gunning for him. It just wouldn't sit well with his conscious.

His mind made up, Yasha knew he had to set him loose.

"MIIIINNNNEE!"

"Crap...!" Yasha lost his footing over a root, crashing hard to the ground in front of the large tree. Winded, he struggled to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes as he carefully made his way up the thick roots of the tree. Placing himself level with the boy, Yasha noticed for the first time the arrow imbedded in a root over where his heart resided. '_Damn... It looks like it goes all the way through..._' In fact, it was probably what was holding the boy in place so high off the ground. Yasha winced in sympathy, only to pause when he could feel short puffs of breath on his face coming from the boy's direction. '_Wait... he isn't dead...?_' He stared at the boy in wonder. "You mean to tell me you're really alive...?"

Golden eyes snapped open sudddnely, glassy and full of hate. "No thanks to you, you wicked bitch!"

Yasha yelped, putting distance between the two of them. "Wha...? You...?"

"What's the matter, little human? Scared to finish the job now that I'm awake? Well, don't waste my time - get on with it already!"

"What?" Yasha blinked. "Finish the job...? No, you got it all wrong, I cam here to get you down from there!"

"Get me down... yeah, tell me another one... You were a liar before, and you're still a liar now, Kikyo!"

Silence fell over the clearing.

"K-kikyo...?" His pride stung, Yasha clenched his fists at his side. He'd been hundreds of time how pretty he was, but for this guy to actually mistake him for a woman... "Do I look like a Kikyo to you?!"

"Oh, so you're not Kikyo, huh? Like I'm supposed to believe that. Have you forgotten I can smell you, you idiot! Just because you change your clothes and hair, and voice... and eye color...?" The golden eyes widened and focused in on Yasha's face, the raw anger changing to confusion.

Yasha, however, was a bit preoccupied. '_Wait.. he can smell me...?_' he wondered, observing his clothes. It hadn't been that long since he'd showered, had it?

"You... you're not... Kikyo...?" The boy's pitch changed, causing Yasha to raise a brow in curiosity. No boy he'd ever met had such vocal range. Something was a little off... "You're really not Kikyo..." He looked so lost now, his expression and features so much more soft without the hatred present. "I don't understand... Where is Kikyo...?"

Why he'd be so concerned about some girl who had tried to kill him was beyond Yasha's comprehenssion. "I don't know who this Kikyo girl is or where she's gone to," he explained quickly. "But my name is Yasha and we have got to get out of her quick before---"

"MIINNNEEE! GIVE IT TO MEEEE!" The centipede crashed into the clearing, screeching madly. "I WANT IT! I WANT IT NOW!"

"Shit!" the white haired boy exclaimed, gold eyes widening almost comically.

'No kidding!' Yasha groaned.

"Give it to me," the centipede hissed. "I know you have it! Give it to ME!"

"Well?"

Yasha turned back to him. "Well what? I don't know what she's talking about!"

"Get on it with it already," the boy frowned down at him. "Exorcise the damned thing already."

"What is this? Poltergeist or something??"

"Poh-ru-to-what??"

The centipede let out a loud shriek, rushing towards them with its clawed hands raised to strike.

Yasha's eyes widened. '_This... this is just like my dream!_' Before he knew what was happening, he was clambering up the roots towards the other boy, flinging himself in front of them like a shield. "No! Stop it!"

In a few short moments there was a splash of blood, two gasps of surprise, and then a groan as Yasha fell to the ground with his face white with shock.

The boy stared down at him, his face a mixture of anger and disbelief. "You ass! Nobody told you to go and do that! You should've just purified the damned thing!!"

Yasha coughed, grimacing at the amount of red seeping through his dress shirt. His mom was certainly going to pass a brick once she got a load of this...

"Are you evening listening to me! Hey!"

Irritated and in a great deal of pain, Yasha glared up at the boy. Talk about ungrateful... "Purify... I'm not a priest..." he groaned out. Damn, it hurt to move...

"Right," the boy snapped. "And I don't have two furry ears on the top of my head."

Huh...

"Finally..." The two youths snaped their heads to the centipede youkai in the distance. It held something in one of its blood-stained hands, grinning maniacally. "It was calling to me... calling to me and finally I have it... the _Shikon no Tama_ is mine!!"

"What?!"

Whether that had come from the boy or him, Yasha couldn't be sure.

Kaede and the others soon arrived on horseback, taking in the carnage taking place before them.

"Did she say the _Shikon no Tama_?!" the old miko exclaimed. But that was impossible! She had seen to it that cursed thing had followed her sister into the afterlife. It hadn't been seen nor heard of for 50 years! "It cannot be..."

"Kaede-sama!" one man called. "The youkai!!"

"Yes, I know," she said. "It has the _Shikon no Tama_ - we must take caution. We must get it back at all costs!"

"Not that demon--" He pointed to the Goshinboku where golden eyes glared back at them. "The one Kikyo-sama sealed - it's alive!"

"What?! Impossible!" She stared at the young boy kneeling beside the tree, hunched over and bleeding profusely. Once more, an image of her departed sister overlapped his own. "Onee-sama..."

"Enough of this foolishness!" the centipede cried out. "With the Shikon in my possession, nothing is beyond my reach!"

"Don't you dare!" the white haired boy yelled, struggling against his bonds. At his movement, the arrow over his chest pulsed, causing him to let out a small whimper.

The centipede laughed. "Ridiculous. As if I would pay heed to the demand of a worthless hanyou like you." It eyed the blood covered stone in its hand hungrily. "I now have more power than I could ever desire... I will soon become the most powerful youkai in all of Nihon... while you will remain nothing, a horrible mistake!" It grinned evilly as the white haired hanyou hissed at its words. "But do not worry, I shall end your pitiful existence very soon..." It rasied the stone to its lips, swallowing it in one gulp.

"NO!" The boy snarled as the centipede began to transform under the effects of the relic. He looked away angrily, glancing down at the ashen Yasha on the ground beside him. "Hey, you... you better move before things get ugly."

'_Get ugly he says..._' Yasha thought darkly, clutching his crimson soaked side. Had that monster really pulled the Shikon no Tama... out of him...?

_No, of course not! The real thing hasn't been seen for 500 years!_ That, at least, had been what his grandfather had said.

"Hey! Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you..." Yasha ground out. "But it's not like I'm in any shape to flee, exactly..." _'If I move, I'll pass out... I've probably lost too much blood as it is..._'

The boy above him muttered something along the lines of 'stupid, weak humans', or some such nonsense.. "Then stop the bleeding, you dummy!" he then exclaimed. "For someone with spiritual power of your calibre, you should be able to do at least that! For a holy man, you sure don't know shit, do you?"

Holy man...? Yasha was a shrine boy at most, but as he was too weak to argue, he decided to humor the boy. "What... do I do...?"

Golden eyes blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't expected him to consent to his instruction so quickly. Huh... "Concentrate on closing the wound, first of all. It shouldn't be that hard. Hell, I've had tons of scrapes worse than yours and you didn't see me moping like that."

Yasha ignored the jibes, focusing all of his concentration on the wound at his side. Whitey was convinced he had holy powers... maybe he knew something he didn't. Beads of sweat poured down his face, plastering his thick dark hair to the sides of his face. His violet eyes focused, he watched as the gaping wound at his side slowly closed and vanished from sight leaving a light, star-shaped scar in its wake. "I can't belive it! It worked!"

"Marvelous!" the boy mimicked his tone. "Now move."

"What?" The centipede rushed at Yasha, its transformed with the power of the jewel. It was larger, its alabaster skin now a dark putrid purple, looking more like a monster than the half-woman it had once been. Still woozy, Yasha had no time to run as it grasped him with its many hands, each intent on pulling him in a different direction. "Aaaghhh! Let go of me!" He strained against her strong grip, pressing against her cold flesh in his attempts to get free. "I said LET GO!"

Something inside him pulsed, and with a flash of light and a scream, Yasha suddenly found himself on the ground... along with two of the centipede's arms. The youkai itself thrashed wildly in pain, howling in distress.

"Yes! That's the way to do it!" the boy exclaimed.

Yasha stared at his hands in awe, half expecting them to shoot laser beams, or energy blasts, or whatever it is they did to free him. "That's... never happened before..."

"Amazing..." Kaede awed in the distance. "He partially breaks my sister's seal, awakening the demon, and it shows him how to awaken his spiritual powers! What is happening here...?" Movement from the centipede caused her to cry out in alarm. "Yasha! Beware!!"

"Wretched humans, I hate you all!" The centipede's body curled around the base of the tree, pinning Yasha against the large roots painfully. "I have the Shikon! I have the power! I will not let some pitiful fool get the better of me!"

Yasha cried out as the coiling mass attempted to crush the life out of him. "What... what do I do?!"

"If you want to live," The boy's voice was uncharacteristically soft. Why was it the nice he got, the more feminine he sounded? Some was just not right! "Pull that arrow out for me."

"That's it...?"

"No!" Kaede called out. "That arrow is the only thing that keeps the demon's powers sealed! Remove it and the spell will be broken!"

"That's the whole idea!" the hanyou sneered, glancing down at Yasha once more. "I don't know about you, but I don't wanna spend the last moments of my life pinned to this forsaken tree!"

Yasha's eyes widened. He couldn't die here! He had to find a way back to his mother, his brother, his crazy old grandfather, and even his obese and temperamental cat, Buyo!

'_That's right... I refuse..._' He strained to free his arm to reach the wooden arrow in front of him. "I refuse to die here!" Grasping the wooden shaft in his hand, he yanked it out with one harsh tug. Like magic, the roots binding the hanyou fell away, vanishing like dust. However, with them gone, that gave the centipede more room to work. Yasha let out a short grunt as he found himself suddenly slammed against the boy's chest. His eyes shot open wide in surprise. '_Wait _a_ minute... you've got to be kidding me... There's no way this guy..._'

The hanyou let out a maddening laugh, raising a clawed hand into the air. Without warning the body coild around them fall away under the onslaught of yellow streaks of light, hitting the ground in large chunks. The centipede shrieked in pain, backing away as the hanyou stalked towards it very much like the dog it suddenly resembled.

"Well, well, who's the pathetic one now?" Golden eyes sharpened, focusing in their target. "Should I let you run away to lick your wounds, or end your worthless existence now? Hm... decisions, decisions?" Those eyes turned to him, registering slight annoyance at the bewildered expression on his face. "What?"

Yasha stared back at the white haired figure before him, trying to figure out why he hadn't put two and two together before. The small, lithe frame, soft features, non-masculine voice... it was all so obvious!

"You... you're a girl?!"

End Chapter 2


End file.
